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101 Best Dividend Stocks to Buy for 2019 and Beyond

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Dependable dividend stocks that routinely grow their payouts are welcome in any environment. But they seem especially attractive nowadays.

Stock market volatility is back with a vengeance. The Dow Jones Industrial Average went from powering ahead to an all-time high of 26,828 on Oct. 3 to losing 8% in the span of about three weeks. These kinds of rocky markets tend to give investors motion sickness. But they can add a dose of Dramamine to their portfolios – in the form of reliable dividend-growth stocks.

“Dividend growers, which tend to be quality companies, have generally shown greater resilience in unsteady markets and could address concerns about dividend stocks in a rising-rate environment,” write Tianyin Cheng, director of strategy and ESG Indices at S&P Dow Jones Indices; and Vinit Srivastava, head of strategy and ESG indices at S&P Dow Jones Indices. “This argument applies to not only to the U.S. large-cap space, but it also extends to small- and mid-cap segments and international markets.”

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Dividend stocks – both at home and abroad – with long track records of rock-solid rising payments tend to generate superior returns over long periods of time and can help investors weather shorter periods of market turbulence.

This is a look at the most reliable long-term dividend stocks in the world. Dubbed the “Dividend Aristocrats,” they have raised dividends for at least five straight years (Canadian firms), 10 years (E.U.-based firms) or 25 years (U.S. companies). Such stocks provide reliable and rising income streams – and a sense of security that will help you sleep better at night. We’ve listed them here alphabetically; take a look.

Data is as of Oct. 28, 2018, unless otherwise noted. Dividend history based on company information and S&P data. Companies are listed in alphabetical order. U.S. and Canadian dividend yields are calculated by annualizing the most recent quarterly payout and dividing by the share price. European yields represent the trailing 12-month yield, which is a standard measure for international stocks. Dollar figures are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated.

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3M

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Industrial conglomerate 3M (MMM, $184.95), which makes everything from adhesives to electric circuits, is having a tough 2018. Shares tumbled after a disappointing third-quarter earnings report that reflected weakness in the company’s automotive, dental and consumer electronics markets.

The stock is down 21% for the year-to-date as a result of its difficulties – a rare down year amid a long upward run.

However, whatever the shorter-term holds for 3M’s share price, investors can bank on the conglomerate’s steady payouts over the long haul. While inclusion in the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats requires a minimum of 25 years of uninterrupted annual dividend growth, MMM has much more – its dividend has improved annually for 60 consecutive years, and the payout dates back a century.

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AbbVie

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Market value: $122.3 billion

Dividend yield: 4.8%

Country: United States

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 46

AbbVie’s (ABBV, $80.79) corporate heritage will sound very familiar. The pharmaceutical maker was spun off from Abbott Laboratories in 2013, and like its parent, it carries a longstanding dividend payment. Including its time as part of Abbott, AbbVie upped its annual distribution for 46 consecutive years.

What should really excite investors, however, is that AbbVie upped its payout twice in 2018. The first one was an 11% hike that came during its usual payout-increase time at the start of the year. However, ABBV also announced an additional 35% boost to its dividend starting with the payment made in May, citing additional capital from U.S. tax reform.

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Best-selling treatments include Humira for rheumatoid arthritis and AndroGel, a testosterone replacement therapy. All told, AbbVie’s pipeline includes more than 35 products across various stages of clinical trials.

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Aflac

Aflac

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Market value: $31.8 billion

Dividend yield: 2.5%

Country: United States

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 36

Aflac (AFL, $41.70) is a supplemental insurance company – popularized by the loud Aflac duck – with roots going back to 1955 that covers numerous workplace offerings, such as accident, short-term disability and life insurance.

The company’s stock started the year in horrific fashion after a report of alleged fraud sent shares into a dive. But shares in Aflac have quietly come back after evidence of wrongdoing failed to materialize. Analysts at Janney Montgomery Scott have been steadfast throughout with a “Buy” rating on the stock. “It has a significantly simpler business profile with a more reliable stream of earnings than its life insurance peers, and has shown an inflection point in the sale of its benefits products both in Japan and the U.S.,” they write.

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A.O. Smith

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Market value: $7.5 billion

Dividend yield: 2.0%

Country: United States

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 25

A.O. Smith (AOS, $43.74) is one of the newest members of the Dividend Aristocrats.

The manufacturer of commercial and residential water heaters was added to the illustrious group of dependable dividend growers in 2018. In January, A.O. Smith hiked its quarterly cash dividend to 18 cents a share, a 29% increase. Then the company upped its payout again, by 22% in October to 22 cents per share.

Over the past five years, the company’s compound annual growth rate of its dividend is more than 25%.

Analysts at Boenning and Scattergood rate shares at “Outperform” (buy, essentially), thanks to the rollout of A.O. Smith water heaters at home-improvement chain Lowe’s, as well as strength across the North American market.

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Air Products and Chemicals

Air Products and Chemicals

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Market value: $32.8 billion

Dividend yield: 2.9%

Country: United States

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 36

Air Products and Chemicals (APD, $149.43) spent much of past couple years restructuring. Under pressure from investors, it started to shed some weight, including spinning off its Electronic Materials division and selling its Performance Materials business.

Air Products, which dates back to 1940, now is a slimmed-down company that has returned to focusing on its legacy industrial gases business. But it hasn’t taken its eye off the dividend, which it has improved on an annual basis for 36 years in a row. That includes a 15-cent upgrade in January 2018 – its largest in company history.

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Archer Daniels Midland

Archer Daniels Midland

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Market value: $26.0 billion

Dividend yield: 2.9%

Country: United States

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 43

Archer Daniels Midland (ADM, $46.46) processes ingredients for food and feed, including corn sweeteners, starches and emulsifiers such as lecithin. It also has a commodities trading business. It’s a truly global agricultural powerhouse, too, boasting customers in 170 countries that are served by 500 crop procurement locations and 270 ingredient plants.

But it’s a difficult business, too. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect ADM’s earnings to decline at an average annual rate of 8.8% for the next five years.

Archer Daniels Midland has paid out dividends on an uninterrupted basis for 86 years. That includes 43 consecutive years of payout increases.

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Ashtead Group

Ashtead Group

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Market value: $11.2 billion

Dividend yield: 1.9%

Country: United Kingdom

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 14

U.K.-based Ashtead Group (ASHTY, $93.01) is a major player in the U.K. and American rental equipment markets. Ashtead leases construction and industrial equipment to customers that use its machines for road building, facilities management, climate control, special events and disaster relief.

The company’s Sunbelt division is the second largest equipment rental firm in the U.S., with 712 locations nationwide. Its A-Plant division operates from 187 rental locations in the U.K. and is that country’s largest equipment renter.

The company pays dividends semi-annually, and five-year dividend growth has averaged an impressive 45% annually. Note that European Dividend Aristocrats have a lower bar than their American counterparts, only requiring a minimum of 10 consecutive annual dividend increases for inclusion.

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Dividends on some international stocks may be taxed at a higher rate; however, the IRS offers a foreign tax credit that investors can use to offset taxes collected by foreign governments.

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Associated British Foods

Courtesy Alexandre Dulaunoy via Wikimedia Commons

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Market value: $24.8 billion

Dividend yield: 1.0%

Country: United Kingdom

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 18

Associated British Foods (ASBFY, $31.28) is a multinational food processor and retailer operating in 50 countries. Americans might not be familiar with the corporate parent, but they may know a few of its brands, including Ovaltine hot chocolate, Twinings teas, Mazola corn oil and Kingsmill bread. ABF also owns the Primark clothing brand and a chain of 350 Primark retail stores across Europe and North America.

Associated British Foods has improved its dividend by an average of 7.4% annually over the past five years, including a 12% hike in 2017 to 41 pence (roughly 54 cents).

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AT&T

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Market value: $211.5 billion

Dividend yield: 6.9%

Country: United States

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 34

Telecommunications stocks are synonymous with dividend payments. Customers pay for service every month, which ensures a steady stream of cash to fund dividends. AT&T (T, $29.09) – the largest U.S. telecom company – is a perfect example.

AT&T has raised its dividend on an annual basis for 34 consecutive years, and typically boasts one of the highest dividend yields in the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index. That’s in large part because of the cash flows generated by the telecom business, which enjoys what some call an effective duopoly with rival Verizon (VZ). Together, the pair command roughly 70% of the U.S. wireless subscriptions market.

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Automatic Data Processing

Automatic Data Processing

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Market value: $59.6 billion

Dividend yield: 2.0%

Country: United States

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 43

Automatic Data Processing (ADP, $136.35) is the world’s largest payroll processing firm, responsible for paying more than 39 million employees and serving more than 650,000 clients across more than 110 countries.

One of ADP’s great advantages is its “stickiness.” It’s difficult and expensive for corporate customers to change payroll service providers. That competitive advantage helps throw off consistent income and cash flow. In turn, ADP has become a dependable dividend payer – one that has provided an annual raise for shareholders since 1975.

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BAE Systems

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Market value: $21.8 billion

Dividend yield: 3.4%

Country: United Kingdom

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 14

BAE Systems (BAESY, $27.33) is one of the world’s largest defense contractors, serving government customers mainly in the U.K. and U.S. The company designs and manufactures military aircraft, land vehicles and surface ships and is expanding its capabilities in cyber security and intelligence.

Despite flat revenues last year, BAE was able to increase cash flow from operations by 54% and earnings per share by 8% while significantly reducing debt.

BAE’s dividend has improved for 14 consecutive years, though its progress has been slow, at just 2.4% annually over the past five years.

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Bank of Nova Scotia

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Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS, $53.45) is one of Canada’s five big banks, serving more than 24 million customers in North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, Central America and Asia-Pacific.

BNS has gone on a buying binge over the past 10 months, spending almost C$7 billion on acquisitions both in Canada and Latin America. However, the deals have yet to have a positive effect on the bank’s stock, which is down over the past 52 weeks relative to its Canadian peers.

Bank of Nova Scotia’s third-quarter earnings were buoyed by strong results in its Canadian and Asian operations, however. That prompted the bank to raise its quarterly dividend by 3.7% to 85 Canadian cents per share – its sixth hike in just three years.

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Qualification for aristocracy in Canada is a little different and less stringent than the U.S. version – most importantly, it only needs to increase its annual payout for five consecutive years, and can even maintain the same dividend for two consecutive years within that time.

Note: The exchange rate as of Oct. 1, 2018, is 1.28 Canadian dollars for every U.S. dollar.

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BCE

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Market value: $35.4 billion

Dividend yield: 5.9%

Country: Canada

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 10

BCE (BCE, $39.42) is Canada’s largest communications company with annual revenue of $22.7 billion. It generates approximately 54% of its sales from wireline broadband and TV, 35% from wireless, and the remaining 11% from the company’s media operations.

The company’s fiber-optic network is 240,000 kilometers in length – the largest in Canada – delivering internet, phone and TV to more than 9.2 million locations across seven provinces.

BCE has raised its annual dividend by 5% or more for 11 consecutive years, keeping its payout ratio within a healthy range of 65% to 75%.

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Becton Dickinson

Becton Dickinson

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Market value: $61.3 billion

Dividend yield: 1.3%

Country: United States

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 46

Medical devices maker Becton Dickinson ( BDX, $229.00) first bulked up with its 2015 acquisition of CareFusion, a complementary player in the same industry. Last year, it struck a $24 billion deal for fellow Dividend Aristocrat C.R. Bard, another medical products company with a strong position in treatments for infectious diseases.

The company, which makes everything from insulin syringes to cell analysis systems, is increasingly looking for growth to be driven by markets outside the U.S., including China.

Annual dividend increases stretch back 46 years and counting – a track record that should offer peace of mind to antsy income investors.

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British American Tobacco

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Market value: $105.1 billion

Dividend yield: 5.9%

Country: United Kingdom

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 20

British American Tobacco (BTI, $45.83) isn’t terribly well-known in the U.S., but it’s the world’s largest publicly traded tobacco company. BAT owns the popular Dunhill and Rothmans cigarette brands, which are sold to millions of consumers worldwide.

BAT aims to deliver future EPS gains each year at high-single-digit levels. Earnings should receive a boost in 2018 from more than $400 million in anticipated acquisition-related synergies. The last increase to the quarterly dividend on BTI’s stock was a 15.2% bump last year.

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Brown-Forman

Brown-Forman

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Market value: $22.4 billion

Dividend yield: 1.4%

Country: United States

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 34

Brown-Forman (BF.B, $46.61) is one of the largest producers and distributors of alcohol in the world. Jack Daniel’s Tennessee whiskey and Finlandia vodka are just two of its best-known brands, with the former helping drive better-than-expected growth in the most recent quarter. Tequila sales – Brown-Forman features the Herradura and El Jimador brands, among others – also are on the rise.

The company has raised its payout annually for 34 years, and has delivered an uninterrupted regular payout for 72 years.

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Bunzl

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Market value: $9.8 billion

Dividend yield: 1.4%

Country: United Kingdom

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 25

Bunzl (BZLFY, $29.13) is an international distributor of food packaging, cleaning supplies, personal-protection equipment and other consumable items. The company serves customers from several industries, including foodservice, grocery, cleaning, retail and health care. Roughly 60% of sales come from North America, while Europe and the U.K. contribute another 35%.

The company’s dividend has increased for 25 years in a row, which would be enough to qualify even as an American Dividend Aristocrat. The company’s last hike to its semi-annual dividend was a 10% boost in 2017.

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Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce

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Market value: $38.0 billion

Dividend yield: 4.9%

Country: Canada

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 8

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CM, $85.70) is the smallest of Canada’s five big banks. It greatly expanded its U.S. business in 2017 buying Chicago-based PrivateBancorp for $5 billion in cash and shares. As a result of its purchase of PrivateBancorp, the bank’s third-quarter earnings from its U.S. business increased by 295% to C$162 million.

On Sept. 13, CIBC sold $769 million of Canada’s first gender-diversity bond, the funds used to lend to companies advancing women in the executive ranks and the boardroom. Considering they pay about 70 basis points more than similar-maturity Canadian federal government bonds, investors can expect to see more of this from CIBC and other banks.

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CIBC most recently raised its quarterly dividend by 3 cents to C$1.36 a share.

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Canadian National Railway

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Canadian National Railway (CNI, $82.15) was once run by Hunter Harrison, the executive Bill Ackman hired to turnaround its rival, Canadian Pacific Railway (CP).

CN is North America’s second largest publicly traded North American railway with a network of almost 20,000 route miles serving more than $250 billion of goods annually across Canada and the American Midwest.

Over the past six years, Canadian National has grown revenues and operating profits by 6% and 9%, respectively, compounded annually. Investors will like the fact that the railroad operator has grown its annual dividend payment every year since it went public in 1995, averaging 16% a year.

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Canadian Natural Resources

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Market value: $34.4 billion

Dividend yield: 3.7%

Country: Canada

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 17

Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ, $28.19) is one of the world’s top independent energy producers, with natural gas, heavy crude oil and oil sands operations in North America and offshore operations in Africa and the U.K. It produces the oil equivalent of 1.1 billion barrels daily.

Business is so good for Canadian Natural Resources that it has been able to pay down its long-term debt by C$2.5 billion over the past 12 months. Its debt is now 2.1 times adjusted EBITDA, down from 3.4x.

In addition to debt reduction, the company has returned C$1.2 billion via share buybacks and dividends through the first six months of 2018. It currently pays a quarterly dividend of 33.5 Canadian cents, which is 22% higher than its year-ago payout.

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Cardinal Health

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A steady stream of acquisitions helped wholesale drug and medical device distributor Cardinal Health (CAH, $49.92) become the giant that it is today.

More recently, it has been embroiled in legal actions related to the nation’s opioid epidemic. In late 2016, Cardinal Health agreed to pay $44 million to the Department of Justice to settle allegations that it failed to report suspicious drug orders. And in early 2017, the company agreed to a $20 million settlement with the state of West Virginia. However, Cardinal Health is looking for new life with an acquisition of Medtronic’s (MDT) Patient Care, Deep Vein Thrombosis and Nutritional Insufficiency business, completed in July 2017.

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On the dividend front, Cardinal Health has upped the ante on its annual payout for 33 years and counting.

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Chevron

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Market value: $213.7 billion

Dividend yield: 4.0%

Country: United States

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 32

Chevron (CVX, $111.53) is an integrated oil giant that also has operations in natural gas and geothermal energy. And like its competitors, Chevron hurt when oil prices started to tumble in 2014. The energy major was forced to slash spending as a result, but – reassuringly – it never slashed its dividend.

Cut to today, and the outlook for oil looks much more stable. Oil prices topped $75 per barrel in early October. Kiplinger forecasts that prices will range from $65 to $70 a barrel through the end of the year – a far better environment than what energy companies were dealing with a few years ago.

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With three decades of uninterrupted dividend growth under its belt, Chevron’s track record instills confidence that the payouts will continue.

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Cincinnati Financial

Cincinnati Financial

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Market value: $12.4 billion

Dividend yield: 2.8%

Country: United States

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 57

Inclement weather was unkind to Cincinnati Financial (CINF, $76.50) in 2018. The insurer said it suffered close to $100 million in losses from Hurricane Florence in the third quarter alone. The hit from Hurricane Michael, which made landfall in October, will take a toll on fourth-quarter results.

But while hurricane seasons always come and go, Cincinnati Financial’s dividend always stays strong. The property and casualty insurance specialist has one of the Dividend Aristocrats’ longest streaks of increases at 57 years, and given that Cincinnati Financial pays out only about two-thirds of its profits as dividends, that trend should continue.

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Analysts expect forecast average annual earnings growth of 6.1% for the next five years, according to Thomson Reuters data.

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Cintas

Cintas

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Market value: $18.3 billion

Dividend yield: 0.9%

Country: United States

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 35

Cintas (CTAS, $171.47) – which is well-known for providing corporate uniforms, but also offers maintenance supplies, tile and carpet cleaning services and even compliance training – is seen by some investors as a bet on jobs growth. There may be something to that. Shares are up 12% for the year-to-date – they were doing far better just a month ago thanks to unemployment reaching 49-year lows, but then pulled back during the broader-market swoon.

Regardless of how the labor market is doing, Cintas is a stalwart as a dividend payer. The company has raised its payout every year since 1983.

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Clorox

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Market value: $18.9 billion

Dividend yield: 2.6%

Country: United States

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 41

Clorox (CLX, $147.82), whose brands include its namesake bleaches, Glad trash bags and Hidden Valley salad dressing, is raising prices to offset higher input costs. Analysts at Wells Fargo applaud the move, but think investors are taking a wait-and-see approach with the stock because of uncertainty as to how consumers will respond. They rate CLX shares at “Market Perform” (hold).

In the longer run, analysts expect solid and steady growth from the consumer products company; earnings are expected to rise an average of 6.1% a year for the next five years. Clorox’s dividend has increased in size annually since 1977.

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Coca-Cola

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Market value: $195.2 billion

Dividend yield: 3.4%

Country: United States

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 55

Coca-Cola (KO, $45.92) has long been known for quenching consumers’ thirst, but it’s equally effective at quenching investors’ thirst for income. The company has paid a quarterly dividend since 1920, and that dividend has increased annually for the past 55 years.

With the U.S. market for carbonated beverages on the decline for more than a decade, according to market research, Coca-Cola has responded by adding bottled water, fruit juices and teas to its product lineup to keep the cash flowing. In addition to the namesake Coca-Cola brand, KO also sports names such as Minute Maid, Powerade, Simply Orange and Vitaminwater.

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Colgate-Palmolive

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Colgate-Palmolive (CL, $59.58) sells staples ranging from toothpaste to dish detergent, and thus demand for its products tends to remain stable in good and bad economies alike.

The company derives the vast majority of its sales outside the U.S., and that has been a problem in 2018. A stronger dollar, stagnant demand in key overseas markets and higher input costs have weighed on Clorox’s results.

You still can count on Colgate’s dividend, however. It dates back more than a century, to 1895, and has increased annually for 55 consecutive years.

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Coloplast

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Market value: $19.8 billion

Dividend yield: 1.8%

Country: Denmark

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 22

Denmark’s Coloplast (CLPBY, $9.33) is the worldwide leader in ostomy and incontinence products and has an expanding presence in wound care, skincare and urology. Coloplast has the top market share for continence care and ostomy care products, the No. 4 share of the urology market and the No. 5 share of the wound and skincare market.

Over the past five years, Coloplast has produced 5.9% annual sales gains and 7.2% annual EPS growth, then turned that into 8.5% annual dividend increases on average.

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Compass Group

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Market value: $31.6 billion

Dividend yield: 1.6%

Country: United Kingdom

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 17

Compass Group (CMPGY, $19.97) is the world’s largest contract foodservice business. This British company operates in 50 countries worldwide, has more than 55,000 client locations and serves more than 5.5 billion meals each year.

Alphabet (GOOGL), Intel (INTC) and other large corporate customers account for 39% of Compass Group sales. Other important customers include health-care and senior-care facilities (23% of sales), as well as colleges and schools (18%). North America is the company’s primary market, representing 59% of sales, and Europe contributes 25%.

The company’s 8.7% annual EPS growth rate is almost mirrored by its 8.6% dividend growth rate over the same time frame. The payout is made semi-annually.

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Consolidated Edison

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Market value: $23.7 billion

Dividend yield: 3.8%

Country: United States

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 43

Consolidated Edison (<ED, $76.33) is one of the nation’s largest utility stocks by market value. Founded in 1823, it provides electric, gas and steam service for the 10 million customers in New York City and Westchester County. And like most utilities, Consolidated Edison enjoys a fairly stable stream of revenues and income thanks to a dearth of direct competition.

As a result, the utility company has been able to hike its annual distribution without interruption for more than four decades.

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Diageo

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Market value: $84.3 billion

Dividend yield: 3.0%

Country: United Kingdom

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 20

Diageo (DEO, $138.02) is a multinational purveyor of beers and premium liquors that records sales in more than 180 countries. The company was formed in 1997 when Irish beermaker Guinness merged with U.K. liquor merchant Grand Metropolitan.

With iconic liquor brands such as Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J&B, Smirnoff and Tanqueray, North America is Diageo’s largest market. But the company sees better growth opportunities in emerging markets like India and Africa, where incomes are rising and more than 750 million new consumers will reach drinking age during the next decade.

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Dover

Dover Corp.

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Market value: $10.3 billion

Dividend yield: 2.3%

Country: United States

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 63

Industrial conglomerate Dover (DOV, $70.50) has its hands in all sorts of industries, from Dover-branded pumps, lifts and even productivity tools for the energy business, to Anthony-branded commercial refrigerator and freezer doors.

It’s not an exciting business, though it has gotten more headline-worthy in 2018. Under pressure from activist investor Daniel Loeb’s Third Point hedge fund, Dover spun off its upstream energy business earlier this year. Known as Apergy Corp. (APY), the spinoff began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on May 9.

Dividend growth has been a priority for Dover, which at 63 consecutive years of annual distribution hikes boasts the third-longest such streak among publicly traded companies.

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Ecolab

Ecolab

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Market value: $42.6 billion

Dividend yield: 1.1%

Country: United States

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 26

Ecolab (ECL, $147.34) provides water treatment and other industrial-scale maintenance services for several industries, including food, healthcare, and oil and gas. Ecolab’s fortunes can wane as industrial needs fluctuate though; for instance, when energy companies pare spending.

Over the long haul, though, ECL shares are a proven winner. That’s thanks in no small part to a dividend that dates back 81 years. And that payout has grown on an annual basis for more than a quarter-century.

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Enagas

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Market value: $6.3 billion

Dividend yield: 7.7%

Country: Spain

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 14

Spanish utility Enagas (ENGGY, $13.22) has raised its dividend 14 years in a row.

The company is Spain’s principal natural gas carrier, delivering gas via its 10,000-kilometer pipeline network. Enagas also is TSO-certified by the European Union, which enables the company to operate in eight European countries. In addition to its pipeline, Enagas owns three underground storage facilities, four gas liquid plants and interests in natural gas assets in Mexico, Peru, Sweden and Chile.

Enagas fattened its dividend by about 5.7% from 2013 to 2017, and the company is guiding for 5% annual dividend growth through 2020.

101 Best Dividend Stocks to Buy for 2019 and Beyond | Slide 37 of 102

Enbridge

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One of the big headwinds holding back Enbridge (ENB, $31.26) stock was a complex business structure in place to take advantage of tax loopholes available to master limited partnerships.

However, when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission decided to put an end to the loopholes, which allowed MLPs to double their recovery of taxes, Enbridge decided to buy back all of its pipeline subsidiaries at the cost of C$11.4 billion.

Enbridge did cut its annual dividend-growth-rate forecast to a manageable 10% despite oil prices in the $70s. But this can be taken as a positive. Enbridge – under a unified corporate structure, and amid higher oil prices but less strain from a rapidly scaling dividend – should produce better cash flow and ultimately be more attractive to investors.

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Emerson Electric

Emerson Electric

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Market value: $41.6 billion

Dividend yield: 2.9%

Country: United States

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 61

Emerson Electric (EMR, $66.25) makes a wide variety of industrial products, ranging from control valves to electrical fittings. The prolonged downturn in oil prices weighed on Emerson for a couple years as energy companies continued to cut back on spending.

Happily, analysts now say it’s well-positioned to take advantage of the recovery in the energy sector.

Emerson has paid dividends since 1956 and has boosted its annual payout for 61 consecutive years.

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EssilorLuxottica

Courtesy Erkethan via Wikimedia Commons

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Market value: $49.0 billion

Dividend yield: 1.3%

Country: France

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 25

EssilorLuxottica (ESLOY, $68.57) – the end product of a recent merger of French ophthalmic optics company Essilor and Italian eyewear company Luxottica. The combined group includes brands such as Varilux, Transitions, Foster Grant, Ray-Ban, Persol and Oakley. Luxottica also brought with it store brands including LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut and Pearle Vision.

Essilor pays dividends once a year and has increased its payout for a quarter of a century. The company’s dividend growth rate for the past five years is 10.9%, and juiced its payout by 35% last year. How the dividend program continues under the combined entity remains to be seen.

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Exxon Mobil

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Market value: $328.2 billion

Dividend yield: 4.2%

Country: United States

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 36

A descendant of John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil, today’s Exxon Mobil (XOM, $77.53) remains one of the world’s largest oil companies and is the single biggest company by market value among Standard & Poor’s 53 Dividend Aristocrats.

As a dividend stalwart – Exxon and its various predecessors have strung together uninterrupted payouts since 1882 – it continued to hike its payout even as oil prices declined in recent years. Exxon has increased its dividend for 36 consecutive years, and has done so at an average annual rate of 6.3%. That includes a 7% boost to its quarterly checks announced in late April.

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101 Best Dividend Stocks to Buy for 2019 and Beyond | Slide 41 of 102

Federal Realty Investment Trust

Federal Realty Investment Trust

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Market value: $9.0 billion

Dividend yield: 3.3%

Country: United States

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 51

Real estate investment trusts (REITs) such as Federal Realty Investment Trust (FRT, $122.52) are required to pay out at least 90% of their taxable earnings as dividends in exchange for certain tax benefits. Thus, REITs typically are a go-to source for income.

Few have been steadier than FRT. Federal Realty Investment Trust – which owns retail and mixed-use real estate across 12 states, as well as the District of Columbia – has now hiked its payout every year for half a century, and at an annual growth rate of more than 7%.

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101 Best Dividend Stocks to Buy for 2019 and Beyond | Slide 42 of 102

Fortis

Fortis

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Market value: $14.0 billion

Dividend yield: 4.2%

Country: Canada

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 45

Fortis (FTS, $32.97) owns 10 utility operations in Canada, U.S. and the Caribbean, providing gas and electricity to more than 3.3 million customers. It is one of the top 15 utilities in North America. In the company’s 31-year history, its asset base has grown from $300 million at its launch in 1985 to $50 billion today.

The company gets 92% of its earnings from regulated utilities, which means those profits are fairly stable and benefit from steady rate increases. It’s easy to see why Fortis has been able to increase its annual dividend for 45 straight years.

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Over the past decade, Fortis has kept its dividend payout ratio between 61% and 73%, ensuring it’s not stretching to make its payments.

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101 Best Dividend Stocks to Buy for 2019 and Beyond | Slide 43 of 102

Franklin Resources

Franklin Resources

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Market value: $15.2 billion

Dividend yield: 3.1%

Country: United States

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 38

The name Franklin Resources (BEN, $29.31) might not be well-known among investors; however, along with its subsidiaries, it’s called the more familiar Franklin Templeton investments. The global investment firm is one of the world’s largest by assets under management, and is known for its bond funds, among other things.

Mutual fund providers have come under pressure because customers are eschewing traditional stock pickers in favor of indexed investments. However, Franklin is fighting back by launching its first suite of passive exchange-traded funds.

The asset manager has raised its dividend annually since 1981, including an 15% hike announced in December 2017. Investors also got an extra treat in February, when the company announced a special dividend of $3 per share, representing almost 9% in additional yield based on the March 29 record date.

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Fresenius Medical Care

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Market value: $24.5 billion

Dividend yield: 1.6%

Country: Germany

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 21

Fresenius Medicare Care (FMS, $40.06) provides dialysis services through clinics in 150 countries. The company operates more than 3,500 clinics and treated over 300,000 patients last year. Much of Fresenius’ top-line growth has come from acquisitions that include Sparsh Nephrocare, XENiOS, Cura Group, and most recently, NxStage Medical (NXTM), a major competitor.

The company generates nearly 75% of its revenues from North America, which houses approximately 2,400 of its clinics.

Its dividend has grown at a rate of about 7% annually over the past five years.

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101 Best Dividend Stocks to Buy for 2019 and Beyond | Slide 45 of 102

General Dynamics

General Dynamics

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Market value: $50.3 billion

Dividend yield: 2.2%

Country: United States

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 26

Defense contractor General Dynamics (GD, $169.86) is one of the newest members of the Dividend Aristocrats, having been added to the elite list of dividend growers at the end of January 2017. Shares in the company came under pressure in late April after quarterly revenue missed Wall Street estimates because of weakness in the company’s aerospace unit, then again in October thanks to a revenue miss in its Q3 report.

General Dynamics has upped its distribution for 26 consecutive years, however. With a payout ratio of just 29.3% – the S&P 500 has an average payout ratio of about 40% – General Dynamics should have ample room for more dividend hikes.

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101 Best Dividend Stocks to Buy for 2019 and Beyond | Slide 46 of 102

Genuine Parts

Genuine Parts

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Market value: $14.5 billion

Dividend yield: 2.9%

Country: United States

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 62

Automotive and industrial replacement parts maker Genuine Parts ( GPC, $98.56) is best-known for the Napa brand, though it also operates under AutoTodo in Mexico and UAP in Canada. Since its founding in 1928, it has pursued a strategy of acquisitions to fuel growth. At the end of 2017, it bought Alliance Automotive Group, one of the largest distribution companies in Europe, for $2 billion.

A long-time dividend machine, GPC has hiked its dividend annually for more than six decades. That includes a 7% improvement to the payout in February 2018.

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Groupe Bruxelles Lambert

Groupe Bruxelles Lambert

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Market value: $12.7 billion

Dividend yield: 3.1%

Country: Belgium

Consecutive annual dividend increases: 15

With the goal of diversifying earnings, Groupe Bruxelles Lambert (GBLBF, $90.90) created its Sierra Capital subsidiary five years ago, which invests in different outside fund managers. So far, Sierra has returned more than 800 million euros ($910 million) of dividends to the parent company.

The firm’s net asset value grew 11.2% last year, and Groupe Bruxelles raised its dividend 2.4% to 3 euros ($3.41). That was slightly below the 10-year average annual growth rate of 2.7%, but that still was good enough to mark 15 consecutive years of payout expansion.

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Groupe Bruxelles currently does not have shares that trade on a U.S. exchange. However, some brokerage accounts allow investors to buy and sell stocks on foreign exchanges.